Story:Star Trek: Federation Legacy/Treasure Trading Station
|author= |published=July 3, 2014 |stardate=83262.2 ( , 2409) |previous=" " }} Jason Fredricks contemplates whether to return to Starfleet, or take a different path. The crew attempts to expose Jarek Davis' ties to the Tal Shiar. __TOC__ Treasure Trading Station Act One "Captain's log, stardate 83262.2, Commander Davis reporting. We recently lost our chief engineer in a battle with the Nausicaans, and I am tasked with selecting a new one." Jarek Davis enters main engineering, where several crewmen are standing, lined up. "Names and qualifications," Davis says, looking them over. "Darrow, William R., engineer's assistant for two years," Will Darrow replies. "Schrader, Phillip B., engineer, two years' experience," Phil Schrader responds. "Leo Anderson. Two years in the engineering department, sir." "And you?" Davis asks, indicating Hannah Freeman. "Hannah Elizabeth Freeman, one year's experience." "I need someone who is well familiar with this ship's inner workings. Miss Freeman, I recall reading a report stating you were originally assigned to this vessel as a science officer, is that correct?" "Yes, sir. I..." "Then you will return to your previous duties." "But... Sir... Captain Fredricks gave me this position after I requested it." "I don't care, ensign. You will report to the science head from now on." Freeman looks shocked. "You are dismissed, ensign," Davis waves her away with his hand. Darrow, Anderson and Schrader stare after her in confusion. "Now, which of you knows the workings of the ship the best?" "I was part of the team that installed many of the new systems during the Leviathan s refit in 2407, sir," Schrader pipes up. "Good, then you are familiar with how everything works. Mr. Schrader, you are my new chief engineer." "Thank you, sir." Davis leaves engineering. "Poor Hannah," Anderson says solemnly. "I don't like this guy one bit," Darrow adds. Schrader sighs. "Well, he's our superior. We have to follow our orders." Act Two Davis enters the bridge. "Sir, Admiral Quinn reports that our orders are to proceed to the Argelius system as soon as possible. Apparently there is a defector from the Klingon Empire there that wants asylum in exchange for information on the Klingons' battle plans," Tala Jones reports. "Understood. Take us out." "Aye, sir," Ernie Hauser responds. "I'll be in my ready room." Jones follows him to the ready room. Davis sits down and looks up to see her. "What's troubling you, ensign?" "Permission to speak freely, sir?" she asks. "Please do." "It's about your... Conduct about the ship, sir." "Oh?" he asks, seeming genuinely concerned. "Ensign Schrader informed me that you reassigned Freeman to the science department. She was already permitted to join the engineering department, as she met the qualifications." "I felt her presence in engineering was unnecessary. You'll just have to trust that my decision is the right one. Dismissed." "Sir... I must protest." "Go, now, ensign." "Sir. This is wrong," she states firmly, standing her ground. Davis punches his desk. "You will remove yourself from my office, or I will have you confined to your quarters." Jones clenches her fist. "Ensign? Do not test my patience any further. Leave." "Yes, sir," she responds angrily. She exits the ready room. ... The senior staff, save for Davis, are convened in Jones' quarters. "So what are we gonna do?" Lucas Wells asks. "If this guy really is helping the Romulans, we need to report his activity to Starfleet." "Even if he's not Tal Shiar, he acts like a tyrant. He needs to be removed from command," Lenerea Mendel pipes up. "The logical course of action would be to..." Dylyp Azeli begins. Three security guards suddenly barge in the room. The group spins around. Davis steps into the room. "So, my own crew has decided to conspire against me? You plan to report my actions to Admiral Quinn and his cronies? In other words—a mutiny." "Sir, we simply had... Concerns," Freeman replies nervously. "Your concern is unnecessary, just as is your presence on my ship." Azeli reaches for his phaser. Davis notices it, and quickly disarms him with a shot to Azeli's shoulder. "You each have one chance to join me, or be confined to the brig for the remainder of your miserable existences," Davis says sternly. He turns to one of the security officers. "Take Miss Jones and Mr. Azeli to a cell immediately." "Bastards! How could you join this freak?" Wells blurts out at the security officers. "We had no choice, Lucas," one of them, named Elisa Flores, replies. "You had a choice. You simply chose the wrong side," Azeli tells her, while clutching his shoulder wound. "Enough! Will any of you join us? If not, you may accompany Jones and Azeli in the brig," Davis shouts, growing impatient. There is silence. "Very well, then. Take them all." The security officers begin to lead the senior staff away. Wells attacks one of them when his back is turned. A struggle over the officer's phaser ensues. The officer punches Wells in the stomach, Wells countering with an elbow to the officer's nose. Davis finally steps in, grabbing Wells by the throat and pulling him backward. "I think the brig is too good for you, Mr. Wells. You're like a child who needs constant supervision. When we reach the Argelius station, you will accompany me on the away team. If you try anything stupid, I will kill you." Act Three Back on Earth Spacedock, Jason Fredricks prepares to speak with Admiral Jorel Quinn. "How may I help you?" Quinn's secretary asks, as Fredricks walks up to her. "I'd like to see Admiral Quinn," he replies. "Listen hon, the admiral's a busy man, and I'm sure he's got important things to take care of right now. Maybe you should come back later." "Look, 'hon', I'm a personal friend of Quinn, and I'd appreciate it if you'd tell him I'm here." She starts to speak again, but Quinn exits his office before she can. "Oh, admiral, is everything alright, sir?" she asks. "Yes, Marci, everything's fine. I..." Quinn trails off, noticing Fredricks. "Jason! What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?" "Sir... If it's not too much trouble..." Fredricks glances at Marci. "I was wondering if I could get an appointment to talk with you." "You don't need to make an appointment, Jason. You're always welcome here. Come, step into my office." "Sir... Aren't you too busy to be bothered..." Marci trails off. "Don't worry, Jason's... Family." Quinn and Fredricks enter Quinn's office. "Family, eh?" Fredricks chuckles, sitting down. "I've often thought of you as being like a son to me." "Yeah, I've also thought of you as my second father, especially since the first isn't much of one to begin with." "I know he's not always the most pleasant person to be around, Jason, but he is your real father. That's something I can never claim as being true." "Well, I haven't come to lament about parents and old family issues. I'm still not sure where to go with my career." Quinn stands up and heads for the replicator. "Coffee?" he asks. "Yeah, sure." "Oh, continue," Quinn says, while ordering two coffees from the replicator. "I've been thinking, and I feel like maybe I should leave Starfleet for a while... Clear my head some more..." "I'm sorry, did you say, 'leave Starfleet'?" "Yeah... I kinda did..." Quinn walks back over to his desk and sits down, setting a cup of coffee in front of Fredricks. "You know... I think I've been very patient with you. When you first came to me saying you wanted to call it quits, I conceded, thinking you simply needed some time away from command. Well, Jason, you've had some time, and I just can't believe you're giving up this easily." "Sir, with all due respect, the stress..." "The stress comes with the job," Quinn interrupts. "Do you remember that young man from nearly five years ago who was determined to make captain in his first year in Starfleet? I believed he had the technical skill, but lacked the experience and the patience required." Fredricks chuckles. "Yeah, I remember." "So, you agreed to slow down and take your time, and look where it got you. Exactly where you wanted to be. Are you really going to throw all of your achievements aside like they are nothing?" "But the war..." "War is a bloody business. It's far from a desirable thing to meddle in, but sometimes it's unavoidable." Fredricks sighs. "You're right... But I just can't help feeling responsible for those who lost their lives under my command." "Well, it would be a bad thing if you didn't. You're a good commander, Jason, and you're an even better man." ... The security team leads Jones, Azeli, Mendel, Freeman, Hauser and Julia Cromwell to the brig. "This is a mistake. Davis is not fit for duty," Jones tells the lead security officer. "Shut up, bitch. We're in charge now," he sneers. "You're one of them, aren't you?" Hauser comments. "All you need to know is that we've taken over, and you'll never see anybody you care about again." He and the other security officers throw them into the detention cells. "You will not get away with this. It is illogical for you to..." Azeli begins. "What are you, an Andorian or a Vulcan?" Azeli raises an eyebrow. "I am Andorian, as you can see. I simply defer to logic..." "Whatever. Shut the hell up." "What do we do, sir?" Cromwell asks Jones. "I don't know," she responds. ... "We're entering the Argelius system, captain," Flores reports from tactical. "Drop us out of warp, ensign," Davis tells the conn officer. "Aye, captain," the conn officer responds. "The away team will consist of myself, Mr. Wells, Miss Flores and two security officers. Mr. Vanden, you have the bridge." "Aye, captain. Don't worry, the ship is in good hands," Jules Vanden replies. Davis heads for the turbolift, followed by Flores. "Mr. Wells?" Davis asks. "Coming," he replies, sighing. They enter the turbolift. Act Four Vance L'eher enters main engineering, accompanied by several other crewmen. "Vance! What's going on?" Schrader asks. "The senior staff have all been locked up in the brig by the captain," L'eher replies. "What? Why?" "I don't know. Something about... Mutiny." "You don't think that they would..." "I don't know what to believe right now." "Sir, we have to pick a side," Andre Leeman says to him. "The captain's, or theirs." L'eher sighs. "I know, I know. We hardly even know him, but I can't believe he would just lock them up for no reason." "We can't just do nothing," Darrow points out. "Phil, can you cut power to the force fields in the brig?" L'eher inquires. "I should be able to. Just give the word, sir." "Okay, wait until we get there. I'll contact you when we're ready." L'eher and his team exit engineering. ... The away team materializes on the station. They proceed down a corridor and walk into a bar area. They are immediately greeted by a Ferengi. "Greetings! I am Qaris, the station administrator. What can I do for ya?" "Where is he?" Davis demands. "Who?" Qaris asks, puzzled. "Don't play games with me, Ferengi. You know who." "I-I really don't know who you're talking about, sir," Qaris replies, swallowing hard. "Sir, perhaps if we assist Mr. Qaris with identifying any problems here at his bar, he will be more inclined to tell us the whereabouts of you-know-who," Kevin Briggs suggests. "Indeed." Davis waves the away team to investigate problematic hazards around the bar. Wells scans some pipes with his tricorder. "Sir, these waste pipes aren't properly insulated. Even a small leak could spew harmful gases into the bar," he reports. "I was planning to have those fixed! I just haven't gotten around to it yet," Qaris complains. Briggs scans the tongo table. "This game is using an illegal probability matrix, captain." "Wh-what's the harm in having a little fun with the customers, eh?" Qaris lets out a nervous chuckle. "You don't even wanna know what's in these crates, sir," Flores reports. "Um..." Qaris trails off. "What about the bar itself?" Davis asks. "There appear to be several illegal beverages for sale here, sir," Briggs answers. A bar patron turns to them with an annoyed look. "Enough!" he yells. "First the tongo game and now our drinks? What's next, the holosuites?" Davis crosses his arms. "Actually, I was going to have them look there next." "You know, you're really starting to annoy me, Human. My friends aren't all that fond of you either." Several other patrons stand, weapons raised. Davis chuckles. "You really don't know who you're messing with." "Yeah, I do. You're from Starfleet. Nothing but a bunch of pussies in uniforms." Davis pretends to look annoyed. He starts to turn around, but instead punches the patron in the face. The patron stumbles backwards. Another patron takes a swing at Davis, but Davis ducks before he lands his punch. Wells tackles another, and Flores stuns two with her phaser. Briggs is taken down by a rather large patron, who proceeds to punch him in the face repeatedly. Another of the patrons shoots one of the security officers in the shoulder. Davis makes his way over to Qaris. "Call them off, now!" he yells, pointing his phaser at him. "I have no control over them! They only buy my booze," Qaris responds frantically. Frustrated, Davis sets his phaser on the highest setting and shoots the bar, creating a large hole through the center of it. The patrons and the Leviathan crew cease fighting to see what just happened. "You're crazy!" one of the patrons shouts. Several of them walk out of the bar. "No, wait... Don't leave!" Qaris pleads. Davis grabs Qaris by the collar. "Tell me where he is, you miserable piece of trash, or you'll be missing a head!" "M-maybe if you tell me who it is you're looking for—I might be able to help..." "The Klingon operative!" "Ah! You mean Marta? She's down in the main cargo bay." "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Davis releases Qaris from his grip. Wells helps Briggs to his feet. "N-no... I guess it wasn't..." Qaris stutters, trying to catch his breath. "For a second there, I thought you really were gonna kill me." "Oh, I would never kill you on the highest power setting. That would be a waste of my phaser's energy." Qaris chuckles nervously. Wells turns his attention to Davis. "Sir, we should get down to the cargo bay don't you think?" he asks. Davis turns momentarily to look him in the eye. "Of course. Ferengi, give me your security code." "Oh, yeah. Here." Qaris hands Davis his security key. "Thank you, that will be all." Qaris turns to leave. Davis pulls out his phaser and shoots him in the back. Qaris cries out and falls to the floor. "What the hell are you doing?" Briggs blurts out. "Learn your place ensign, or you will end up just like this worthless creature." Briggs bites his tongue. "Onward!" Davis ushers the away team into the turbolift. Act Five Meanwhile, Jones and the rest of the senior staff are still confined in the brig. "I wish Jason were here," Jones sighs. Mendel chuckles. "If taking back every mean thing I've ever said about him would bring him back, I would." "He didn't leave because of you," Hauser comments. "I know, but I can't help but feel partially responsible." "You should not blame yourself. His decision was made solely because of his feelings about the war," Azeli assures her. "Yeah, I still miss him though." "We all do," Freeman adds. L'eher and his team enter the brig. Azeli notices them, but remains silent. L'eher tosses a smoke grenade onto the floor behind the security guards. It releases a thick, foggy gas into the air, blinding the guards. L'eher's team quickly stuns all of them. "Vance! It's good to see you," Jones says cheerily, standing up. "Don't worry, we'll get you out of here," he responds. He taps his combadge. "It's time, Phil." "Understood," Schrader replies from engineering. He uses a console to deactivate the force fields. The senior staff exits the cells. "Thanks, Vance," Cromwell says, smiling. "Don't mention it." "We've gotta get to the bridge," Hauser announces. L'eher stands in the doorway to prevent them from leaving. "First, I need to know why you were locked in here." "Vance, what are you doing?" Jones asks worriedly. "Tell me the truth! Why were all of you locked up?" "The captain is... Not who he appears to be," Azeli responds. "Oh? What do you mean?" L'eher asks suspiciously. "Haven't you seen how he's been acting? He's a madman. Reassigning people for no reason, giving orders that make no sense..." Mendel trails off. L'eher lowers his phaser and nods. "Alright. I just wanted to make sure I could trust you. To tell the truth, he's reassigned half of my team to deflector control and replaced them with officers that have no experience with ship security." "Before we storm the bridge, can you get me to a secure communications terminal?" Jones asks. "We have to inform Admiral Quinn of the situation." "Yeah, come on." L'eher leads the group out of the brig. "We'll need to get you all some weapons, too." ... "Admiral Quinn! Sorry to disturb you, but there's a message coming in for you from the Leviathan on a secure channel," Marci says, suddenly barging into Quinn's office. "Thank you, Marci," Quinn replies, turning on his computer screen. Jones appears on the screen. "Hello, Admiral Quinn. This is Ensign Jones of the Leviathan," she introduces herself. "Hello, Miss Jones. May I ask why you have contacted me via a secure channel? Is something wrong?" "Yes, admiral. Something is very wrong." Jones briefly glances over her shoulder. "The captain locked the senior staff in the brig, myself included, and proceeded with the mission on the Argelius station, taking his own team down." "I see. What were his grounds for locking you in the brig?" "In his words, 'mutiny', but we did nothing of the sort." "Mutiny? That is a serious charge. How did you escape the brig?" "Not everyone on the ship is loyal to the captain's questionable orders, sir. He's been conducting basic ship operations using his own personal feelings, rather than using proper protocol." "And you say he is on the station right now?" "Yes, admiral." "Who is in command?" "I dont..." She pauses as L'eher whispers in her ear. "...someone named Jules Vanden. It must be one of Davis' men, sir. I've never heard of him." "'One of Davis' men'?" Quinn questions. "We believe he's working for the Tal Shiar." She pauses again. "I've got to go, sir. They've likely already discovered we sent this transmission. If you can send help, please do." "Understood. Quinn out." The channel closes. Quinn sighs and turns on his pager. "Marci, please come here." Marci walks into his office. "Where is Mr. Fredricks?" he asks. "I believe he went to the shipyard." "Fetch him for me, will you?" "Yes, sir." Marci exits the office. Quinn turns on his computer again. "Computer, give me all background information regarding Commander Jarek Davis." "Working..." the computer replies. Quinn strokes his chin. ... Davis, Wells, Briggs, Flores and the security officer enter the cargo bay. Several freighter captains are locked behind force fields, as well as one Orion. "That must be her," Wells points out. "I can place some mines to take down the force field generators, sir," Briggs volunteers. "We only need one," Davis responds. "Hey, don't leave us in here!" one of the captains shouts. "You'll need our help to defeat him..." another one says. "Who?" Davis inquires. The captain points to someone standing behind the away team. "Me!" a Klingon captain belts out. "Why are you here?" Davis questions. "I am Urthog." "I did not ask for your name, Klingon." "That petaQ escaped me. I am here to return her to Qo'noS," Urthog says, indicating Marta. "We're here to take her to Earth. We can't both have her," Flores speaks up. Urthog growls. "You run a disorderly crew, captain. Letting your officers speak for you? On my ship, they would have their tongues removed for such insolence!" Davis frowns. "Tell me, who sent you?" "Hah! I will not tell you, Human." "I am not Human! I am Romulan." "Even worse. You will die slowly, scum." Briggs draws his phaser. The Klingon officers draw their weapons as well. Davis hits Urthog in a fit of rage, sending him falling backwards. The room quickly fills with gunfire. The security officer is shot down by one of the Klingons. Two Klingons are taken down by Flores and Wells. Davis and Urthog fight hand-to-hand, both exchanging blows. Briggs detonates the mines he placed earlier, releasing the freighter captains from their cells. They all scramble to grab weapons from a nearby crate. "You will not defeat me!" Urthog shouts, landing a solid blow to Davis' abdomen. Davis tries to regain his footing, but Urthog deals him another blow, and another. Wells comes up on the Klingon from behind, wrapping his arms around his neck. Urthog stumbles, attempting to remove Wells from his back. This gives Davis enough time to land a blow to Urthog's chin. Wells and Urthog fall backwards, and Davis promptly pounces on Urthog, landing several blows and knocking him unconscious. Davis slowly stands to his feet. "You're welcome..." Wells mumbles. Davis returns Wells' comment with a glare. He walks over to Marta's cell. "Who was that Klingon?" he inquires. "He is my former master. I escaped him to provide information to the Federation that will assist them in their war efforts," she responds. "You will tell me this information." "No, I will not. I will only discuss it with Starfleet Command." "Tell me, now!" "Sir, stop, now," Wells says, pointing his phaser at Davis. Davis chuckles. "I should have known not to give you a weapon, Mr. Wells." "Yes, you should have. Now, if you please, step away from the lady, and drop your phaser." Davis drops his phaser. "What now, Mr. Wells?" Wells turns to Marta. "Marta, what can you tell us about Urthog?" "I can tell you that he was working for someone else you've probably already met." "Who?" She pauses for a moment. "B'vat." Wells sighs. "Everything just got a bit more interesting, didn't it?" Act Six On the Leviathan, Jones, Azeli, Hauser, Mendel, and L'eher make their way to the bridge. They enter a turbolift. "Bridge," Jones tells the computer. "What's wrong, Ernie?" Mendel asks, noticing the dismay on Hauser's face. "I just never thought I'd end up fighting my own shipmates." "None of us did," she says, putting her hand on his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay." The turbolift comes to a stop. "Get ready," Jones tells the others. The doors open and the team bursts out of the turbolift, phasers raised. Vanden spins around in the captain's chair. "Hey, you're not supposed to be here!" he shouts. "Security, take them back to their cells." "Wait!" Jones yells back. "Aren't you all forgetting what Commander Davis has done? He's given one bad order after another, reassigning the whole crew and bypassing Starfleet protocol whenever it has suited him. He is the real traitor here." "What are you waiting for?" Vanden asks the security officers. Jones continues. "We haven't given you any reason to mistrust us before, so please, trust me now. Davis is a threat to the entire crew." The security officers lower their phasers. Frustrated, Vanden draws his phaser. "Drop it, buddy!" L'eher says firmly. "You won't win. We'll succeed eventually. The captain won't fail," Vanden responds. "Drop it!" Vanden tries to shoot L'eher, but Azeli and Hauser simultaneously stun him. "Now that that's over with, I want everyone to return to their original posts. Move it!" Jones orders, sitting in the captain's chair. "Get him outta here," she tells L'eher. "Yes, sir!" Mendel takes her seat. "Sir, the Khitomer is entering the system and hailing us." "On-screen." "This is Admiral Jorel Quinn, to whoever is in command of the Leviathan. We urge you to stand down and allow us to beam an away team over." "Don't worry, sir. Everything's under control now," Jones replies, smiling. "Ah, good. I shall make preparations to beam over." The channel closes. Jones turns to Azeli. "Dylyp, we'd better get down to the station. Lucas may be in trouble." The duo makes their way to the turbolift. ... Jones and Azeli materialize on the station. A Ferengi is busy cleaning up the mess left earlier by Davis and his away team. Jones approaches him. He takes notice of her and cowers. "Stay back, please! Don't kill me!" he pleads. "We're not going to hurt you," Jones responds, confused. "B-but... Your captain killed Mr. Qaris..." Jones' eyes grow wide. "I'm sorry. He is a traitor to the Federation. We're here to apprehend him." "There is no question now. He's one of them," Azeli comments. "Indeed." They enter the cargo bay. Wells takes notice of them. "Tala! It's great to see you... And you... Dylyp," he says. Jones chuckles. "You too, Lucas." She taps her combadge. "Leviathan, lock on to our signals and beam us up." In the transporter room, Fredricks and Quinn are awaiting the away team's return. The away team materializes on the transporter pad, in two groups. "Jason!" Wells exclaims, seeing his friend. He runs over to Fredricks and hugs him. Fredricks smiles. "Hey, Lucas." Jones hugs Fredricks as well. "It's good to see you, sir." "Please escort Mr. Davis to the brig," Quinn tells the security officers. "Welcome back, captain," Azeli says to Fredricks. "Thank you, Dylyp. It's good to be back." They exit the transporter room. ... Freeman enters main engineering and walks toward the engineering team. Schrader notices her approaching. "Welcome back to engineering, Miss Freeman," Schrader says, smiling. "Thanks, sir," she replies. After a short moment of silence, Schrader takes notice of the engineering team's loitering. "Well, don't just stand there, we have work to do!" he shouts. Freeman smiles at him as she gets to work. He winks back at her. ... Fredricks and Quinn are in the ready room, discussing the recent events. "What's going to happen to Davis?" Fredricks asks. "Don't worry, we've got a very special cell waiting for him at one of our secure prison facilities," Quinn replies. "All of these conspiracies, terrorists and infiltrators are enough to give you a goddamn headache and an upset stomach." Quinn chuckles. "Indeed. Another unfortunate consequence of being at war, I'm afraid." "Yeah..." Fredricks sighs. "Well, Jason, it seems to me you have your work cut out for you. This ship is in need of a captain, and you fit the job description." "You never gave up on me, did you, sir?" "Not for a second." Quinn pats him on the shoulder. "Good luck, Jason." Quinn leaves the ready room and heads for the bridge turbolift. "Oh, Miss Jones, there's one more thing I should do before I depart," he says, stopping at the door of the turbolift. "Yes, admiral?" she responds. "I almost forgot to give you this." He hands her a darkened pip. "Sir?" she asks in amazement. "You've earned it, Lieutenant Junior Grade Jones." "Thank you, sir." Quinn heads once again for the turbolift. "Until next time!" he says, as the doors close in front of him. Fredricks exits the ready room. "Captain on the bridge!" Jones shouts. Everyone stands at attention. Fredricks takes a look around the bridge. He smiles confidently. "This is... Home." External Links